War and Adventure
by Col.Foley
Summary: John Zaun, now a Lt in the Republic Military finds himself in the middle of war. A war of survival as he has to grow up, fast...but dark revelations wait for him in the cold dark of space.
1. War And Adventure

**A/N: **Now for Part two of the series that was started in A New Saga, which can be found in my stories.

_Star Wars War and Adventure…._

_The Republic finds itself in the middle of a desperate war, as they struggle to retain their holdings in the New Galaxy and continue to commission ships and vessels in order to fight. _

_The Alliance Against the Republic has launched a series of sieges on the planets that the Republic control within the New Galactic territories, catching the Republic off balance. _

_JOHN ZAUN, now a full Jedi Knight, is thrown into the middle of this desperate war for survival, still reeling from the death of his father eight months ago…_


	2. The Siege

His feet pounded on the dirt as he ran head long, his chest heaving, the Force going with him and keeping him from collapsing as he tore against the plain before him.

He grabbed at the cylinder on his utility belt and wrenched it from its holding, flicking the activation plate causing the blue beam of pure energy to burst from the hilt.

He snarled as he pounced, swinging his lightsaber through a droid that was before him cleaving it in two.

Blaster bolts shot at him as he deflected with a sweeping arch of blue energy causing them to return fire towards the droids. He watched as they crashed down, crumpled in the dirt, holes glowing in their metal chests.

"Come on, with me!" John yelled waving his lightsaber around his head dramatically, gesturing to the gathering Republic forces. It seemed like the right thing to do in his current youthful and adrenaline soaked state.

"Stop them!" He swung his saber out and pointed it towards the enemy forces that were charging at him in wave upon wave.

Republic blaster bolts flung at the enemy forces mowing them down, hitting them repeatedly, causing bellows of pain and frustration, the sparking and exploding of droids.

John deflected easily the few enemy bolts that came his way, flicking his lightsaber deftly causing the blasts to plow them into the ground.

Troops were falling all around him on both sides as the two forces continued to close with one another.

He sighed and took a few deep breaths, steeling himself for the rest of the action.

He leapt again at a small group of enemies. Swinging his saber out left and out right sweeping through two droids he noticed a third opponent, an officer, who raised her blaster pistol.

He was faster.

He plunged his active blade into her stomach as she fell to her knees, shocked, and then fell over and into the sand and the dirt.

John watched her fall, looking at her face as the life drained from her features. He set his jaw and stared at the cold lifeless eyes.

His emotions boiled up within him. He did not want to be here…she reminded him of Sora.

"GET DOWN!" John turned just in time to see a Republic Omega commando tackle him to the ground, just before he would have been cleaved in two by a blaster bolt.

"Young Jedi, you really need to be more careful." The Omega Captain offered picking him up.

"Thank you." John replied, shaking his head. He went for his lightsaber and discovered it was missing. He searched around panicked, but found it quickly through the Force and summoned it to him.

He scanned the area with young eyes, though they were becoming accustomed to combat, too accustomed. He sighed again.

He had to concentrate and noticed…the enemy running. He did not dare to believe it until a shout confirmed it.

"They are retreating! The enemy is retreating!"

A cheer arose from the soldiers around the area as they were grateful to hold the day.

John smiled and nodded at the Captain, "I trust that you can secure the area?"

The color drained from the Captain's face as he tried not to look insulted, but his feelings positively smashed into John's psyche through the Force.

John panicked for a second wondering what he had said wrong.

"Oh sorry," he blushed remembering. "Sir, I am still trying to get used to the rank system…heat of the moment."

The Captain grinned relieved. "It's OK young Jedi, just keep your head down, I think you will make a good soldier yet."

John pondered that, but decided it was not worth thinking about too hard. "Thank you for saving my life Captain."

He ran off before the man could respond.

_Medical Clinic_

He approached the medical clinic, entering the main tent where he nodded to the aide who was sitting monitoring the entrance.

She nodded back at him obviously recognizing him, and smiling all the way.

He went through the open tent to the waiting area and stopped up short.

It _stank_.

It smelled of death and decay. The dead and wounded people, emitted the stench of burned and decaying flesh, John crinkled his nose before moving on, making his way slowly through the cots and the moaning patients.

He wandered for a few minutes, hoping the reason he was here was not in surgery.

But he saw her, well her back, as she was scrubbing down at the out area of one of the triage tents.

He walked towards her, but she turned around curiously at his presence, she smiled as soon as she saw who it was.

He smiled back.

"Hey." She greeted hugging him friendly before letting go.

"Hi." He responded chagrinned. "How are you holding up?" He asked before his mind could go off down a path that he did not want to entertain right now.

"About as well as can be expected, when the Alliance hit us in many places we had to rush forces in a panic. But the Republic did not give us major medical supplies. It's a challenge even doing basic triage, having to use a lot of Force." She explained gesturing around the entire area.

He looked around and frowned being depressed by this information.

"Maybe the Republic will be sending more supply ships soon?" He offered hopefully to her.

She turned back to him staring with her eyes into his, and then barked a harsh laugh her shoulders shaking a bit. "Unlikely, we are a backwater planet on the edge of the battle line. Unimportant and forgotten, leaving us here to fight, and get hurt, and heal, and die."

She bit her lip and sighed, a sad sound, leaning into him slightly. "I am sorry. I will continue to try and do my best." She scowled. "I just wish that this damn siege will end!" She looked at him guiltily "Sorry…but that is more your department then mine."

He frowned, though deep down he was grateful for the distraction and to get back to 'military' matters rather than how screwed they were.

"I don't know…the enemy base and command structure is still shielded…and we do not have enough heavy weapons available to us to punch through." They traded a sarcastic look based on their previous conversation.

She sighed. "Well I have to get back to work…I have twelve patients that look like they are barely hanging on that need attending to. Stay safe for me John o-"

He did not hear the rest of her words as a warning through the Force pierced through his consciousness putting his body on edge.

"Down!" He barked grabbing her by the shoulders from behind and forcing her to the floor.

Blaster bolts pierced the thin material of the tent and crashed into the containers and other medical equipment. Sora screamed in fear and frustration.

He leapt up and grabbed his Lightsaber, turning it on and flinging through the hole that had now pierced the tent.

And into hell, yells and screams of shock greeted him as Republic soldiers and enemy forces rushed to one another.

He deflected a burst of bolts aimed at him and put them right back to their shooters.

He rebounded one behind him right at another droid sneaking up on him, and then leapt.

He dove right into another droid who tried to shoot him, he glanced the bolt right into its leg and then beheaded it with a back sweep from his lightsaber.

He started to run, drawing the fire away from the wounded and the clinic.

He ran until he saw a behemoth rise from the ground before him. An Alliance Juggernaut, their most powerful ground vehicles, two of them.

One fired, flinging large balls of plasma at him, and one at the clinic. He looked over at the medical tent, Sora was there, as were a thousand Republic soldiers. He had to save her…them. He clipped his lightsaber back to his belt and then held his hands out. He desperately called his emotions to his mind to redirect the blast, he did not know if he could do this. But he had to try, even if it meant his own life. Finally the plasma began to move, incrementally at first, before moving to slam into the ground away from the clinic.

The other one he bounded, at the last second, it exploded behind him, the blast wave smashing into him causing him to skid on the ground.

He hurt everywhere, but got up with a grunt. He got up and dusted himself off, the caked on dust that clung to his robes. He felt immensely satisfied with himself that he was able to save everyone, Sora, the soldiers, and himself. He turned his lightsaber back on and charged.

"Target the Juggernauts, bring them down!" He heard over the command net.

An Ion cannon turned and faced one of them and fired, it was stopped in its tracks as the body came to a stop and the weapons unfocussed.

"This is Lt. Zaun, I am approaching one of the Juggernauts need support."

"Coming Lt." His com responded.

He watched as several Republic soldiers began to gather around him in a knot. One of them was carrying a missile launcher.

"Sergeant," He said waving the man over. "Aim right at one of its plasma launchers we need to concentrate on getting those out of commission first."

"Yes sir." The man nodded while acquiring the section. A tone sounded and off the Missile went.

It hit the Juggernaut right on target blowing the weapon into its component pieces. John looked at the wreckage grimly satisfied before waving his saber around again and pointing it at the Juggernaut.

"To me!" He yelled for emphasis.

The soldiers rushed with a yell and a cheer getting into position to try and take the behemoth down that was glooming up before them.

Blaster bolts started to hit the ground kicking up dirt and sand, eventually soldiers started to fall with holes glowing in their chests, their helmets rolling away.

John spun around and faced the Juggernaut, and saw that a turret towards the top of the thing was raining down fire from its position.

He summoned a burst of Force energy and pulled back and across with his hand. The gun went swiveling in that direction and began to fire skyward.

Another rocket finished it off.

John darted to the other canon that was powering up for another strike, dodging blaster bolts as both sides shot towards him. Some to protect and some were attempting to skewer.

He relied on his speed and endurance instead of his developing skills with a lightsaber to try and win the day.

He closed on the Juggernaut's other weapon canon and began to cut it off. After it fell to the ground with a thud he looked around again and saw the Omega Captain take a shot at the cockpit probably trying to kill the pilot. He must have succeeded because the thing lurched suddenly before going into a final stop.

John caught his attention and then gestured around the other side of the Juggernaut. The Captain nodded in reply.

John ran around the other side. He slammed the activation plate for the door home and unleashed a blast of Force energy knocking the three remaining soldiers off their feet.

The Captain came in and fired three quick bursts, the bolts flashing in the pitch darkness.

John joined the Captain as they around the other side and looked at the crippled war machine. All the battle damage and the war scarring of the enemy machine making it look quite beat up and war torn.

The Captain smiled at him, "you thinking what I'm thinking?"

John turned a regarding eye to the vehicle once more taking it in. He smiled when the thought occurred to him. "Why yes Captain, I believe I do."


	3. Revelations

_Siege Zone- Commandeered Enemy Transport. _

John stood holding his hand to one of the above rails bracing himself as the large Juggernaut tried to pick its way over the uneven ground with its damaged systems.

Over in one corner was a crystal display divided into two maps. What they believed was the internal layout of the base they were heading for, and the area they were traveling in. On this display was a symbol that indicated their progress, they passed the five kilometer line.

The Captain looked at this grimly before turning to look at the assembled crowd…about twenty Special Forces commandoes and five other Jedi besides himself.

"OK men. Remember your objectives. We are going to break into two teams to sabotage key areas of the base. Team one, led by myself, will go and take out the generators to the compound to lower the defenses. Team two; hopefully before team one achieves their objectives, will go after the locking devices and open up the main parts of the base for the rest of our forces. After that any survivors will head to what we believe to be the Commander's chambers. Any questions?"

John shook his head in the negative, being the team leader for team two and thus the only person that really mattered.

"Sir," the intercom buzzed with their pilot, "they are asking why we are returning?"

"Tell them that we took heavy damage and need repairs." The Captain placed his hand on the intercom button in response.

After a pregnant pause of several seconds, the tension rising in the compartment, the troops began to look around nervously.

"They said that we can head for bay 2. I do not know where bay 2 is." The pilot responded nervously.

"We knew this was a long shot." John stated sadly.

"Wait, we are probably in their weapons range we need to keep calm." The Captain replied coolly. Then: "Pilot, keep on going, look at the numbering, maybe we can find it."

After several more seconds. "Got it!" The pilot announced excitedly.

A sigh of relief rippled through the assembled body of troops and Jedi some of them even casting their eyes skyward before making final weapons checks.

John felt the vehicle shiver before beginning to slow down slightly, and then stop completely.

"Ready?" The Captain asked his eyes darting to each person in his team who.

John nodded as well, as did his team.

The Captain pressed the button causing the door to whoosh open.

Flash bombs and smoke exploded from the compartment in an attempt to disorient anyone who was there. The Jedi activated their lightsabers and leapt through in a defensive pattern.

Blaster bolts were fired at the assembled group, who instantly deflected them away.

John spun his saber around furiously across his body just barely keeping the bolts from hitting him. Causing them to spin and glance away plowing into the ground and nailing the droids.

The fire storm was more intense than he expected. He had to work his muscles around powerfully, building up a rapid sweat.

Some of the regular Omega troops attempted to peek through the Jedi's legs and return fire but it was inconsistent, and some of them were mowed down from repeating blasters on the railings overlooking them.

"Men fan out!" The Captain ordered over the tumult as the Omega troopers ran around the lines and began to pour fire into the enemies. Exposing themselves to enemy fire.

John 'felt' another one of the Knights go down being hit from multiple sides, and some of the Omega troops joined her.

The main problem was the heavy repeating blaster raining fire on them. Firing panicked and inaccurately, but still a major threat that needed to be dealt with.

John unleashed a blast of Force energy before disengaging himself from the line. He spun around his lightsaber making a white-blue arch of energy through the air as it plucked a bolt out of the air.

The heavy blaster turned on him now having a precise target to focus its energies. He worked his saber around forcing bolts out of the air holding it diagonally across his body as the blasts were following more or less one path. He grunted as the burst of energy slammed into his blade threatening to knock him off his feet.

He flipped through the air and landed right next to the weapons station slicing it in half with his blade before impaling the soldier manning it with a back thrust.

He had to quickly transition and spin his saber in the air deflecting two more shots, one up high and the other into his opponent.

He heard a yell and looked onto the bay floor. Another one of the Jedi must have fallen but the survivors charged as Omega provided lethal covering fire.

The Jedi clashed with their opponents and fought gallantly, but all were cut down eventually as John winced at the display.

The Omegas continued to fight and fire accurately until everyone of their enemies were dead.

But… an eerie quiet pervaded the bay as John breathed hard in order to catch his breath.

He saw the Captain shake his head ruefully. "Too many died here. And the bay has been sealed off, we have no choice but to complete our mission. John, take this five," he pointed, "I will take the rest."

"Yes, sir," John nodded.

_Another section of the base. _

John walked carefully along with the other members of his team, their armor creaking making him wince every time.

They had not encountered any serious resistance since the main hangar; John had the nasty feeling it was a trap of their ambush. But since they had survived maybe that would be it as far as enemy forces were concerned.

However, he found this to be unlikely.

His Force sense seemed dulled as if someone had thrown a plastic sheet over his head, he could still see and feel through the Force but it was blurry and subdued.

His lightsaber was off and clipped to his belt, he did not want to make any noise which would have alerted an attacker.

He felt a sudden surge through the Force indicating a threat. Rapidly he ripped the saber out of its holster, turned it on repelling a bolt back at a soldier that ran around the corner head long. Using a Force blast he launched him into the wall knocking him cold.

Two of the soldiers behind him fell from enemy fire before the remainder of the team responded and returned the fire destroying the aggressors.

"That was close." John whispered waving his soldiers on before taking up the rear.

_The Generator Room_

The Omega Captain came across the door and set up on the other side of it and tried to peer into the interior without exposing himself.

The demolitions man nodded and went on through.

"Wait!" The Captain yelled out.

But it was too late; the soldier was struck dead from three different sides, killing him instantly.

The Captain looked away and grunted sadly, but at least he knew how many enemies he was up against.

He communicated with his team mate, pointing furiously to the side he was facing and he got into position.

He cleared his mind and released his breath calming himself and preparing his body.

He sprang into action, going over the fallen body of his comrade; he brought his weapon up, obtained his target, and pulled on the trigger.

His enemy fell.

So did the one across from the bay but his partner was hit dropping him to the deck.

He dove behind a panel before the enemy could acquire him. Being pinned as sparks flew all around him.

_The Gate Room. _

John crept around a corner outside the entrance to the gate room. He felt the presence of two guards at the door.

"OK, we have two guards on either side of the door, set up." John whispered to the two men in front of him, they nodded.

The lead palmed the door switch ready to depress it as the other man placed himself so he could clear left. John positioned himself so he could clear right.

The door opened and John ran through, blasters fired, he John swung his saber around in a sweeping arc cutting the armor of one of the soldiers causing him to fall.

One of the Omega's fell from a shot to the leg, another one to the chest finished him off.

His pain hit John full bore through the Force almost causing him to falter. Instead he dove behind one of the pillar support beams with the last of the Omega.

A bolt of high intensity particle energy raged past as John peeked over the boundary nearly getting it shot off.

"Damn it…ok give me some covering fire on my mark." John ordered to his fellow soldier.

John rolled to the boundary and took a deep steadying breath. "Ok…mark!"

Blaster fire was exchanged and John ran out, staying to the perimeter and moving in a half crouch.

Blaster bolts started to try and find him. He drew his lightsaber and deflected any of the lethal ones. But the Omega solider was doing a good job keeping the enemy pinned.

He ran to the main control panel and typed in the commands from memory. Having to duck though to keep from getting tagged by heavy enemy fire, now he was pinned.

He began to fight his way out using the Force to leap into the midst of them closing the distance.

The base was now opened.

_The Generator Room _

The Captain was still pinned to his position; any movement he made brought another ringing shot followed by sparking and sizzling metal.

He peeked around the corner fast to get a good idea where his enemy was only to be shot at…again.

He breathed, moved around until his body was straight out, and flung himself into a combat roll and came up with his blaster pistol in his hand.

His enemy fired missing him by inches. He fired and struck his enemy in the shoulder, smoke pouring out of the wound.

Placing his weapon in both hands he fired again finishing his enemy off.

The Captain moved towards the control panel and sighed, glancing at the demolitions expert shaking his head sadly. He had to find another way to destroy the facility.

_Oh well_, he thought before pressing his pistol against the controls and pulling the trigger.

Sparks flew and a warning alarm blared all around him. He checked the readings as the power levels were becoming unstable. The facility's defenses and other systems were failing.

_Republic Command Post_

The Corporal sat behind his station looking bored as the readouts appeared mostly steady.

Suddenly they flashed red and a barely audible tone went off. His heart rate increased as his eyes flashed across the screen trying to take in the new wave of information.

"Sir! Colonel the enemy's defense systems are going down!" He reported waving his hand in the air hoping he got it right.

The aging Colonel leaned over his side and stared intently at his readouts

"Very good…it begins." He stated before pacing off. "All assault forces begin the attack." He ordered into the intercom at his station.

_Outside the Base._

Moments after the order was given Republic gunships, troop transports, and assault speeders moved in on the base.

The soldiers and droids manning the catwalks and external gun emplacements turned around and stared into the darkness at the humming of repulsors and other engine systems.

They were scared at what it could mean; the Republic had never tried to launch an attack on them to this point. What had changed?

Blaster bolts and rockets pierced the veil of night slamming into the facilities armor, causing sparks and explosions to race along the side.

Several men were blasted off their feet and over the side, screaming all the way. Most of the rest were killed instantly.

Republic gunships swooped in low and finished off the rest with blasts from their rotary cannons. They swooped into a hover and moved over the courtyard. Continuing to lay down covering and support fire on the walkways and stairways as the panicked enemies began to scramble. They tried to pick up their weapons and make a stand but many of them were cut down easily.

Cables draped from the sides of the gunships with Republic Omega Commandoes sliding down them raining fire as they went picking off more enemy droids.

As they landed they cut the cables and the gunships peeled off, to be immediately replaced by more of them, carrying regular infantry, as they moved into a low hover and deposited their troops.

Some of them stayed to lay down suppressing fire.

A pitched fire fight was evolving in the court yard with the Republic able to bring in reinforcements faster than the enemy.

Blue bolts knocked off of stairs and chipped stone and metal walls as the enemy fell from the massive fire storm. The Republic forces began to enter the base.

_Just Outside the Command Post. _

John and his Omega escort stalked carefully down a corridor. Since escaping the main gate room they had again run into no resistance. They were forced to travel on emergency lighting, and John could feel the pitched battle raging on around him, making it almost difficult to concentrate on his task.

John felt an oppressive and malevolent presence ahead. It made him nervous, but he knew he had to go on.

"Be careful up ahead." He ordered his squad mate who nodded at him.

They were supposed to meet with the second squad; he just hoped something had not happened to them.

They rounded the corner and John activated his Saber bringing it to hand and in guard position, behind him his fellow soldier was cut down.

John wrenched around only to have Blasters pointed at him, he spun around again and found a woman in a black flowing dress staring at him with two more guards.

"Now now, we do not want to shoot Jedi Zaun." She ordered with a smile. "As you can see you are clearly outnumbered."

"How do you know me?" John asked, bringing his saber around to point at her and putting his palm out.

"How can I not? John Zaun, son of Galen, Jedi Knight, Lt. in the Republic armed forces." She stated her smile ever growing, "And soon to be my servant."

"Fat chance." John smiled too.

She placed her hands on her hips and positively sneered at him. "As I said you are surrounded. I doubt you are fast enough to beat us all. Its either surrender or die. And if you surrender then I promise you, you will eventually serve us. We have many ways of persuasion young Jedi, to bring you around to our…way of thinking. We know things about you that you yourself probably have not realized yet."

He tried not to think about it but the pit opened up in the bottom of his stomach. He tried not to show it, tried to maintain focus, but he had a nasty suspicion that he knew _exactly_ what she was talking about.

She began to cackle.

Then it happened.

A half formed white sheen appeared between him and the group he was facing, John could of sworn he got a fleeting image of a face staring at him.

Then the Captain rounded the corner and poured fire on the other group, but he was hit for his troubles and knocked to the ground.

John pounced through the mist his Saber in a crossing position as he slashed through one of the guards easily. The other one he stabbed through the throat nearly severing his head from his shoulders.

He heard a lightsaber activate and a red shaft appear, the mist dissipated quickly. He traded rapid one handed blows with his opponent before stabbing her in the stomach causing her to fall onto the ground.

He looked around for other targets only to be shot, twice, in the stomach causing him to yowl in pain. He brought a Force blast to his mind and flung the last of the enemy into a wall. He yelped and crumpled.

John lost his balance and his endurance as his legs gave out from under him, he quickly shut his saber off and let it fall from his hand.

He collapsed on the officer's legs he had impaled almost dropping on top of her but was able to stop his fall.

She smiled at him blood dripping from her mouth. "Well done John."

"Thanks." He grunted sarcastically, thinking of a long lost friend.

Her smile widened and her eyes gleamed. "Do you want to be let in on a secret John Zaun?"

"Sure." He replied.

"He's not dead, well not all of him you know. He cloned himself."

John paled. "Who?"

She smiled. "Death, you innocent."

With that her head lolled over to one side as she breathed out her last breath.

He grunted as he stood walking towards the Captain. He was still alive…barely.

"It was an honor serving with you Jedi Zaun, keep going and you are bound for great things." The Captain grunted, as he too faded off into death.

John groaned, before he too collapsed. He faded off into darkness.


	4. Briefing and New Mission

_Kandar _

"I will never get done saving you."

John jolted his eyes open from his semi lucid partial unconscious state as Sora spoke. He looked over at her and smiled in acknowledgement, remembering the words she used when coming upon him in the enemy stronghold.

She found him as he was close to death, but was able to get him to a medical center and heal him. He stayed in the battle zone for a few days before a transport took them both to Kandar.

Now they were traveling above the planet in an air transport.

Being awoken from his semi slumber he looked out of the window in silence. Too preoccupied with his thoughts and what he was told in the base. Could Death really be alive? Even as a clone?

He frowned deeply.

"John what's wrong?" Sora asked him worried.

"Oh nothing, nothing much in any event," he responded trying to smile.

"Ok, if you say so," She replied skeptically. "I know there is something wrong, John."

He tried to meet her gaze, but failed, instead staring guiltily at the floor. "Yeah…."

They landed quickly and John got out, wincing as his wounds smarted slightly, he rubbed his side.

"Your wounds still bothering you?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," He responded working out the kinks in his body from sitting so long.

"Sorry…it was the best I could do with my limited-"

"Medical supplies," he smirked finishing her sentence while sharing the joke with her.

She glanced at the door. "May the Force be with you John."

He smiled cockily at her. "Why, all I am doing is facing three of the most powerful Jedi in existence what could go wrong?"

She smirked back at him amused.

At that he walked off into the hall way and was led on by a service droid who droned on about the facility, John chose not to listen.

He was let into a central meeting room with three Jedi standing in their robes, a sort of 'Master's Council' for the New Galaxy and the Republic's war effort.

Master Mikal Skywalker, a Master that John did not know, and… Master Gundar.

John's eyes widened in surprise at Master Gundar's presence but that was the only overt reaction he had to the elder Jedi's presence.

"Report Knight Zaun." The Master he did not know ordered.

"Yes, Master," John started squaring his feet. "The siege has been won by a combined Republic military and Jedi task force after nearly two months of fighting. This was the first major siege we have won to our satisfaction."

Gundar grunted annoyed at that but did not say anything.

John continued, "We held our own until we captured an enemy Juggernaut and then used it to infiltrate the enemy base. Despite taking heavy casualties we managed to disable their defenses for our main attack. We quickly secured the facility."

"A bold plan," Master Skywalker began, "anything else to report?"

John hesitated mulling it over, "Sir…actually the commander of the base, she was a Force Sensitive, and she claims that Death cloned himself."

"And?" Gundar asked.

"I request permission to launch a military expedition to try and find him." John supplied simply.

"If I remember correctly the first Death tried to kill you, killed your father, and fell to the Dark Side and threatened to take on the Jedi Order. Hardly sounds like someone we want to find. Besides-"

"Besides we do not have the manpower or the time to send you off on a random, wild chase through the stars on shaky evidence, the testimony of our enemy." The Master cut in, Gundar shot him an annoyed look.

"I know." John did not bat an eye but he hesitated. "Sir…if Death has been captured it means that he is trying to be used against us. Death's Force Talent if improperly focused could cause great pain for the Republic and our allies. Worse: they could be feeding off him to gain greater power for themselves. It is imperative that we find him, and then we can determine what to do with him."

Both Gundar and the other Master was going to speak but Skywalker cut them both off. "Thank you Lt., we will be taking this under advisement. You are relieved until we call for you."

_An Alliance Cruiser. _

Reevax stood with his arms clasped behind his back looking out at the star scape before him. He was on his bridge on the cruiser that was given to him by the Alliance Navy.

He was given command of this ship towards the beginning of the war with the Republic and had already seen 8 separate engagements with enemy forces.

A pretty quiet war so far, but he had lost people, and had suffered personally.

Despite this he did enjoy command and not simply being an aide to his master, he was now important and independent. No longer gathering in secret meetings on caves in unknown planets, no longer perched on uncomfortable rock outcroppings as elders attempted to debate their alliance.

But he did miss his master from time to time and missed serving him without any of the responsibility that he now had.

He was responsible for the life and death of over a hundred sentient life forms, and a lot of valuable equipment.

Meanwhile his master was off commanding the Special Operations division. Though Reevax was not supposed to know this, his master told him anyway.

He knew his duty to the Alliance that he served but he had no personal stakes in it. It was not he who lost power and their homes and their comfy lives when the Republic invaded. It was not he who had spent decades plotting revenge on the Republic to take back what they had lost.

He knew his duty, and could execute it, but was not sure he saw the wisdom in it, dangerous thoughts given the circumstances.

An aide came and gave him a report which he took with a smile and a nod.

He read the message and frowned deeply.

The Republic had beaten one of their assault forces and had routed them.

He looked out at the stars intelligently, wondering what the future had in store for him and his alliance.

_Kandar._

John was sitting on a stone bench just outside the main hall of the Master's Council chatting idly with Sora.

He looked furtively at her every now and then which made conversation…difficult. But they were talking about mundane matters so it did not matter much, just vague issues on the economy or how their respective sports teams were doing.

Not that they were supposed to enjoy such things as Jedi…at least in theory.

But… he was enjoying himself.

The past few weeks especially, even though he was in combat and most of combat was waiting for a move or counter move, he was always under stress. The stress was always there, even at the mess hall or on break, the constant fear of being attacked.

Besides, if he were honest with himself, he would admit that he would not trade the company that he was enjoying with all the jewels in the Two Galaxies.

He looked at her and she at him, their eyes met and she smiled brightly at him. He smirked.

"Lt. Zaun." A droid suddenly spoke causing John to jump about three feet out of his chair.

"Uhh…yes?" John queried the droid.

"The Council has finished their deliberations and has decided, they request your presence." The droid twiddled mechanically.

"I see." John sighed. "Well I have my duty Sora, sorry about this." He got up with a frown.

"Bye." She waved, looking at him sadly.

He followed the speeding droid as it hovered ahead of him towards the council chambers, they opened, and he entered.

"Ah, Knight Zaun, welcome back." Mikal greeted pleasantly.

"We have decided to act on your intelligence. Death is indeed a grave threat." The Unknown Master explained.

"Indeed." John replied arching a sarcastic eyebrow.

"We have been in consultation with the military for the last two hours explaining the situation. They have agreed to provide us with one _Indefatigable _class gunboat along with a Republic Marine weapon specialist for the mission." Mikal explained.

Gundar grunted.

"Is that all they can provide?" John asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Yes," Mikal waved his hand in explanation, "for the moment the Republic is gathering a massive military force in order to retake our planets and land a severe blow to our enemies. The details are classified."

John sighed. "If that is the case then it is all I can ask for."

"Indeed Knight Zaun." The Unknown Master nodded.

"But, this comes with a promotion. Congratulations…Commander Zaun. And as a side effect you get to pick your command crew." Mikal explained.

"In that case, I request Sora to be on my staff, she is-"

"Why?" Master Gundar asked suspiciously.

"As I was saying," John shot the master a look, "she is someone I trust implicitly, one of the only people left who I can trust in that way. And she is an expert healer, and we might need her on this mission."

"She is not a Master though, she is inexperienced for such an important mission I will not allow your personal interests to get in the way again John-" Gundar began to snap.

"But, I bet that you cannot afford to send a Master Healer right now given all that is happening because of the war and general upkeep. Also, as Master Skywalker said, my mission, my ship, my crew. She comes." John shot decisively, surprising even himself.

"Very well," Gundar relented, but his tone indicated that this was not the end.

"May I go inspect my ship?" John asked the three masters.

"You may Knight Zaun." Mikal nodded.

_Landing Pad 6_

John ran his fingers over the smooth skin of the gunboat admiringly. He smiled in wonder. This was _his,_ it really was. At least for the moment, and the responsibility to do with it as he would was his as well.

He felt a presence behind him and turned, and he saw Sora coming towards him staring at him worried, biting her lip.

"John." She greeted.

"Sora what's wrong?" He came to her.

"Nothing…well it's just the responsibility…why would you need me on this mission? This mission is important and if we fail because of me….I could never live with myself." Sora hunched her shoulders sadly.

"Sora…" he came over to her and held her lightly by the shoulders. "You are the best, the kindest, and the most dependable healers I have known. You endured extreme circumstances, little supplies, tremendous casualties, and you saved a lot of people."

"And I lost a lot of people." She whispered trying to stifle a sob.

"Yes…but your greatest commodity. I trust you Sora, implicitly. I would not have a single other person on this crew with me because I know what you can do and I trust your abilities, more importantly then that, however, I trust your soul." John whispered to her.

She sighed and looked at him with a slight smile. "Thank you John."

He was about to respond but was interrupted, "Commander...Commander Second Class Zaun?"

"Yes?" John asked turning around.

"I am here to join your crew sir." The Marine came forward with his weapon and equipment sack.

"Ah yes, come on and stow your gear…sergeant?"

"Just sergeant, I find it better if we do not know each other's names."

John arched a surprised eyebrow at him, "Very well."

The small group boarded the gunboat as they made their preparations.


	5. The Trail is Cold

_Republic Gunship _

They were only on the hunt for a couple of days now; John was manning the sensor station staring at the readouts bored his hand on his cheek.

Now that he had command, he was not sure what to do. Just set in a random course and hope.

It was not like the commander at the base had given them any specific directions saying 'go here, find Death, and then deal with him in the way you deem best.' Nope, none of that, just an insane situation where John, Sora, and their hearty Republic Sergeant wandered the galaxy with a stick and a flashlight, stumbling in the dark.

John sighed drearily to himself thinking about their desperate situation. They only had enough supplies for a few weeks which meant their time was limited. At least the company was nice.

And right on cue Sora entered the bridge, now wearing a standard issue Republic Military flight suit, instead of her regular Jedi Robes. Apparently she did not bring enough spares and the laundry facilities on the ship were dismal. At least it was far more complementary then the robes…and in John's personal opinion, since he was wearing one too, more comfortable.

"Any Luck?" She asked him.

"Nope, how about you?" John asked her since she was attempting to use her abilities in the Force to track the dreadnaught.

"Nothing, not a single tremor, this means they aren't not close or aren't well protected." She frowned.

John shrugged.

"Actually this probably means exactly that," The Marine spoke poking his head through an open hatch, "I have been thinking about our problem, and I think I have come up with a solution."

"Do tell?" John yawned.

"I think Sora is right. Death is a strong Force Sensitive with great powers and ability in the Force which makes him an asset to whichever side he is on, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct. He was…well the last Death…was hunted even as a small boy by forces that were not loyal to his father but wanted to use him for their purposes. He had a strong and ruthless presence in the Force that destroyed all those who opposed him." John explained. "Why?"

"Well that suggests that he is a huge military resource to whoever wants him. This means a heavily defended and perhaps mobile platform like a dreadnaught, or a base. If it's the former then we might have a way to track them because a dreadnaught needs resupply." The Marine explained.

"Interesting," John came forward and arched an eyebrow, "got any ideas?"

"Yes," The Marine sat down in the pilot's seat, "there is a small neutral planet on the edge of Republic Space that is making a huge profit from both sides coming to them for basic supplies. It seems logical that a dreadnaught that is conducting combat operations may stop there. At least it's as good a place as any given our current situation."

"Sounds like it could be a good starting point, set a course." John ordered.

"Aye aye Commander," the Marine nodded as he manipulated the controls to lay in the course.

"Finally maybe we can get this over with." Sora smiled coming over to stand by the command chair.

"Yes, but still this jaunt has not been all bad." John cut in. Sora looked at him and their eyes met for a brief second which seemed to linger.

_The Alliance Cruiser- Commander's Office._

Reevax was sitting behind his desk leaning back in his chair ever so slightly pondering recent events. His ship was on patrol in an area seemingly devoid of Republic activity. He appreciated the downtime and the chance to update the training on his crew to get them ready for their next mission.

He also appreciated the sense of calm that had come over this ship, and the chance to reflect on his past.

"Captain Sir, a priority two transmission coming in for you." The aide over the intercom said as his desk beeped at him.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Unknown sir, they are using a scrambling field consistent with the upper levels of our Military structure." The aide explained.

An Alliance scrambling field used on a priority two transmission? _Well no one said life wasn't supposed to be interesting, _he thought to himself.

"Put it through." He ordered as he turned around to face the screen.

"Ah Reevax, glad you accepted my transmission." His old master greeted with a grin as he came up on the viewer.

"Master!" Reevax replied happily.

"It's been too long my former aide." His master nodded appreciatively.

"Yes, why are you contacting me? Anything you need me and my crew to do?" Reevax asked worried.

"What can't I come and check in on my old friend?" His master smiled slightly.

"No… just surprised…why the scramble?" Reevax asked, he appreciated talking with the man again but he was curious as to the inconstancies.

"Oh. That. We are currently on a top secret mission involving…well… a captured Force Sensitive that we are using to try and turn the tide against the Republic. I am right now on the dreadnaught trying to help in that and figure out how the Special Operations Directorate can exploit the situation to our advantage. I am thinking of transferring my flag here."

So that explained it! "Captured Force Sensitive?" Reevax asked.

"Yeah, his father was an enemy of ours with the Republic but then swore to take the Republic on. Though he did not become a part of our resistance, we have taken his son to use him for our own advantage. Not that there is much to worry about I doubt the Republic knows we are here. Or even that we exist."

"I see. Master it was good catching up with you but if you have a moment later on it will probably serve better to have this conversation in private instead of a com link." Reevax stated bluntly.

"True," His master agreed then hmphed. "I just do not know when we can get a moment. I am also trying to work on and set up a project to turn and convert Jedi Knights to our cause, but I suppose that is something else for later conversations."

"Indeed Master…May the Force be with you." He said, not believing it himself but knowing that his Master did.

"You too Commander," His master replied before the screen darkened.

Reevax sighed before sitting down and getting back to some of the reports he had to read.

_Neutral trading world_

John, Sora and the Marine were walking down the main bazaar of the trading world hoping to pick up any signs of Death or the dreadnaught.

They were in 'traveling cloaks' of sorts as they moved silently through the marketplace. They got curious stares, but most of the people seemed to ignore them. Their weapons were well hidden, lightsabers in the case of John and Sora, and a pistol in the case of their companion.

Sora moved off to one of the tables and picked up a piece of fruit and looked at it appraisingly. John rolled his eyes before heading over and grabbing her hand slightly and shook his head.

"Sorry, no money to pay." John muttered at the clerk in Galactic Basic hoping that would not give them away.

"What was that for?" Sora whispered sounding hurt.

"We are here to gather intelligence and not shop." John hissed.

"Oh right…" Sora started. "But what do people here do? They shop and trade for food and supplies. People come here to shop, and the only way we are going to gather any intelligence is to talk with people!"

John blushed slightly, hoping that Sora could not see it in the twilight. "Yeah but"his head snapped around as he picked up a tremor of worry in the Force. "Did you pick that up?"

"Yeah I got it." Sora replied letting go of him and looking around.

John peered into the darkness trying to pick out where the feeling came from.

He singled to the Marine who went around down one of the side streets then cut rapidly down another his hand moving to his waist.

John and Sora moved carefully through the crowd moving in on their target, who must have known they were there because he picked up his speed to compensate.

Sora and John traded a look but kept back, letting events develop.

The Marine came out up ahead and the man they were trailing tried to turn back, only to see John and Sora tagging up from the rear.

John reached for his waistband and shot the man a look stopping him in his tracks.

He saw the man sigh slightly.

"Why were you trying to run?" John asked curiously approaching the man; the Marine took up a covering position.

The man sighed, "Because I fear for my life. If someone were to see me talking with you about anything my life would be in jeopardy. They have spies everywhere. "

"Who's they?" Sora whispered conspiratorially.

"The Alliance, the people you are at war with. I do not want to take sides but frankly you are the first people from the Republic I have seen and the Alliance is here all the time getting supplies." The man talked in hushed tones but not a full whisper.

John looked over the man, he was…opulent…obviously well fed with his pants and shirt straining to match his size.

"For example?" John wondered aloud hoping that this could be their break.

"A platoon of soldiers led by an officer came by here three days ago. They claimed to be a part of a dreadnaught that was traveling through the area and was trying to obtain equipment that their ship needed to function." The man explained.

"Really? Did they say where they were going?" Sora asked catching on.

The man shrugged "not that they told me, but my guess would be for the front. I just did business with them and they left. I knew that anyone from the Republic would be more than interested in that piece of information."

"How do you know we are from the Republic?" John's eyes narrowed for a second.

The man smiled, "you are clearly not from around here we know most of the people on the planet that come here… very small population you see. The Alliance tends to make their presence known by military might. I figured if you wanted to try and blend in that you would be from the Republic." He Shrugged. "Looks like I was right."

"Thank you for the information, here," John fished into his pocket for a couple of coins and handed them to the man.

"Thank you." The man bowed before heading off.

"Well, our first lead." John looked at his two subordinates.

"But they were here three days ago." Sora replied glumly.

"Does not mean we can't track them, especially if they are in a dreadnaught, we can still find them." The Marine offered.

John nodded. "Very well, let's do it." The three of them moved off into the gathering darkness.


End file.
